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Volume 9, Number 3—March 2003

Research

Experimental Infection of North American Birds with the New York 1999 Strain of West Nile Virus

Nicholas Komar*Comments to Author , Stanley Langevin*, Steven Hinten*, Nicole Nemeth*†, Eric Edwards*†, Danielle L. Hettler*†, Brent S. Davis*, Richard A. Bowen†, and Michel L. Bunning*‡
Author affiliations: *Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; †Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; ‡Office of the Surgeon General, United States Air Force, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C., USA

Main Article

Table 8

Viral load, determined by Vero plaque assay, in organs harvested from fatal cases of West Nile virus infection in experimentally infected birdsa

Species ID no. Sex Mode of 
infection Organ (log10 PFU/0.5 cm3)
Br Ki He Sp Li Lu In Es Go Sk Ey
Ring-billed Gull
 BDG
 Male
 M
 2.7
 2.8
 1.0
 3.3
 3.0
 3.2
 <1.0
 2.7
 1.6
 3.0
 2.0
Ring-billed Gull
 LG
 Female
 C
 3.0
 2.4
 1.7
 1.3
 <1.0
 <1.0
 <1.0
 2.3
 3.0
 2.4
 3.0
American Crow
 21
 Male
 C
 7.2
 7.6
 5.4
 7.9
 7.5
 8.5
 7.6
 7.8
 6.8
 4.4
 7.7
American Crow
 24
 Female
 M
 6.0
 8.2
 7.7
 7.0
 7.3
 7.1
 8.4
 7.4
 7.0
 4.6
 6.6
American Crow
 25
 Female
 M
 5.9
 7.2
 5.7
 6.7
 6.8
 6.7
 10.6
 6.2
 7.9
 3.8
 6.9
American Crow
 34
 Female
 C
 8.3
 8.2
 7.8
 7.9
 7.7
 8.3
 9.0
 8.2
 8.1
 5.3
 7.9
American Crow
 37
 NR
 C
 7.2
 8.2
 7.7
 7.8
 7.4
 8.5
 10.0
 7.3
 NT
 5.3
 7.7
American Crow
 41
 Female
 M
 8.3
 9.1
 8.5
 8.7
 8.7
 10.3
 6.6
 8.8
 9.4
 5.6
 8.5
American Crow
 42
 Female
 M
 8.1
 9.1
 8.4
 7.8
 8.1
 8.4
 10.3
 8.6
 8.3
 5.8
 7.9
American Crow
 529
 Female
 M
 6.1
 7.2
 7.0
 6.5
 5.3
 7.7
 5.7
 5.9
 6.9
 6.8
 5.7
American Crow
 543
 Female
 M
 8.3
 8.4
 8.4
 7.2
 7.4
 9.6
 8.7
 8.0
 8.7
 5.9
 8.6
American Crow
 562
 NR
 M
 8.3
 8.2
 6.9
 7.7
 7.7
 8.1
 10.2
 7.4
 8.1
 5.8
 7.3
American Crow
 574
 Male
 C
 8.3
 8.1
 8.2
 8.0
 8.6
 8.1
 9.7
 6.3
 7.8
 6.1
 7.5
American Crow
 805
 Male
 M
 8.1
 6.5
 7.3
 5.9
 6.3
 9.2
 8.3
 8.0
 6.3
 6.4
 8.7
Fish Crow
 005
 Male
 M
 6.9
 4.0
 <2.0
 3.3
 3.5
 4.0
 4.5
 8.5
 4.4
 3.0
 6.2
Fish Crow
 016
 Male
 M
 2.7
 3.2
 6.6
 1.0
 1.0
 4.6
 5.2
 5.1
 3.6
 4.0
 4.8
Fish Crow
 036
 NR
 M
 3.0
 3.1
 6.6
 3.3
 1.5
 5.3
 3.0
 6.5
 3.3
 4.9
 3.1
Fish Crow
 038
 Male
 M
 4.1
 3.9
 4.7
 1.3
 1.0
 4.4
 2.0
 5.4
 4.5
 2.8
 5.0
Fish Crow
 050
 Female
 M
 6.9
 8.1
 8.5
 8.2
 7.8
 7.6
 8.6
 7.7
 8.0
 5.5
 6.9
Fish Crow
 058
 Male
 M
 4.5
 5.1
 6.9
 2.4
 1.6
 5.8
 6.0
 5.1
 2.7
 5.0
 5.3
Fish Crow
 402
 Male
 U
 4.7
 3.6
 3.8
 3.7
 1.5
 3.0
 2.8
 7.4
 1.8
 3.7
 5.8
Blue Jay
 124
 NR
 M
 7.4b
 7.8
 9.0
 8.3
 8.8
 9.1
 6.3
 NT
 7.1
 NT
 NT
Blue Jay
 125
 NR
 M
 7.3b
 8.6
 9.1
 8.3
 8.9
 9.2
 7.3
 NT
 7.3
 NT
 NT
Blue Jay
 908
 Male
 C
 8.2
 9.0
 8.8
 8.6
 8.5
 9.0
 8.0
 8.7
 9.1
 6.9
 7.9
Blue Jay
 909
 Male
 C
 2.7
 6.1
 6.6
 5.5
 4.3
 5.8
 3.4
 4.5
 5.0
 5.9
 7.1
Blue Jay
 910
 Female
 M
 8.2
 9.0
 9.0
 8.1
 8.4
 9.1
 7.9
 8.9
 9.1
 6.0
 8.0
Black-billed Magpie
 LG
 Male
 M
 4.7
 6.6
 6.6
 3.9
 5.4
 6.5
 4.8
 6.7
 5.9
 5.5
 6.3
Black-billed Magpie
 RBLG
 Male
 M
 5.9
 5.5
 5.0
 4.0
 4.8
 4.4
 2.7
 5.9
 4.8
 4.1
 4.6
Black-billed Magpie
 NB
 Male
 C
 5.8
 6.2
 7.2
 5.9
 6.4
 5.7
 5.1
 5.9
 6.5
 4.8
 5.5
Black-billed Magpie
 RB
 Male
 C
 5.0
 7.7
 6.2
 4.5
 6.8
 6.3
 5.2
 5.8
 4.7
 5.9
 5.3
Black-billed Magpie
 RG
 Female
 M
 6.4
 5.4
 6.7
 4.7
 1.9
 6.1
 1.0
 6.6
 4.5
 5.9
 4.7
Common Grackle
 120
 Male
 M
 3.5
 >3.6
 >3.6
 >3.6
 >3.6
 >3.6
 <1.0
 5.0
 <1.0
 4.0
 5.0
Common Grackle
 123
 Male
 M
 2.4
 >3.3
 NT
 NT
 NT
 NT
 <1.0
 4.9
 5.1
 4.6
 4.9
House Finch
 0
 Female
 M
 3.9
 3.8
 5.9
 3.6
 3.8
 3.9
 <1.0
 5.5
 3.8
 4.1
 6.2
House Finch 1 Male M 4.9 3.0 6.1 3.5 2.7 6.0 <1.0 5.7 3.2 5.8 6.3

aBR, brain; Ki, kidney; He, heart; Sp, spleen; Li, liver; Lu, lung; In, intestine; Es, esophagus; Go, gonad; Sk, skin; Ey, eye; M, mosquito-exposed; C, contact-exposed; U, undetermined mode of transmission; NR, not recorded; and NT, not tested.
bBlue Jay brains were evaluated for viral load in both cerebellum and cortex. In both cases, cerebellum was negative.

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